Top 5 young players in the NBA right now.

When it comes to high picks in the NBA draft they almost always go to freshman in college that have shown that have a high potential. Teams don’t care how good a player is now, they care about how good they can be in a few year’s time.

Karl-Anthony Towns only averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in his one year at Kentucky, but everyone could see how good he would be, so he was chosen 1st in the 2015 Draft.

Young players with high potential are always fascinating because they are the guys who will be the faces of the league when they reach their prime. They will be the ones fighting for MVPs, Finals MVPs, and All-NBA team selections.

Even though great players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry will all eventually be out of the league, there are a wave of stars rising through the ranks as we speak, and here are my top 5.

N.B. All players listed were 23 years old or younger at the start of the season.

5. Zion Williamson

I have to say I had my doubts about whether Zion would meet the hype that surrounded him in high-school and at Duke. I have seen so many athletic undersized power-forwards dominate in college but really struggle when they move to the NBA. I thought we would see the same thing again with Williamson.

Then when he suffered a meniscus tear in the preseason before his rookie year I thought that his knees wouldn’t be able to carry his 284 lbs frame for an entire season. 

Thankfully none of my predictions came true; Zion Williamson is the real deal.

I think it’s safe to say that he is already the strongest player in the league at just 20 years old and has a career average of 23.1 PPG. If Zion can develop a jump-shot and a post-game the NBA is in real trouble.

4. Brandon Ingram

It’s a very rare occasion when there’s a blockbuster trades and both sides come out as winners. This was the case for the Anthony Davis trade the LA Lakers made in 2019.

The Lakers got their 2nd star to go alongside LeBron James and they won the title that year. The New Orleans Pelicans got Brandon Ingram who went on to win the Most Improved Player award in his first season and has averaged nearly 24 PPG for the Pels.

Ingram is considered to a poor man’s Kevin Durant, but that is still an extremely good player. He is incredibly long and has a great shooting touch from the outside. Developing his defense and play-making should be the next step for Ingram if he is to become a top 10 player in the NBA.

3. Trae Young

Trae Young is slightly overhyped.

He is averaging 26.7 points and 9.2 assists per game this season, but only hitting 42.2% from the field and 37% from 3 which isn’t exactly great. High-scoring points guards that don’t shoot efficiently don’t have a great record in the NBA.

Allen Iverson and Russell Westbrook are a couple of examples of high-scoring PGs that were never being able to go the distance.

That being said, Young is still an amazing player who could easily become the best point guard in the league. Increasing his offensive efficiency will be key for him going forward.

2. Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic has completely taken over the NBA to the point where if you criticize him on Reddit or Twitter then a mob of his supporters will attack you without mercy. On the season, Doncic is averaging 27.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 9.5 assists. 

This is a ridiculous stat-line average.

Doncic is only 21 and is well beyond where Dirk Nowitzki was at this age. I have no doubt that Doncic will win the MVP award in the next few years, once the Mavs start winning the majority of their games.

1. Jayson Tatum

Yes, Jayson Tatum is better than Luka Doncic and is the best young player in the NBA. This season he’s averaging 27.3 points on 47.6% from the field, 41.8% from 3, and 84.1% from the free-throw line.

Whilst Doncic may average more points and dish out more assists, Tatum is a much more efficient scorer and a much better defender. Tatum also has a very well-polished game for such a young player. His footwork on both ends of the court is fantastic to watch. Tatum has already mastered the fundamentals of the game.

Tatum will likely win an MVP award in the future as well, but I also think Tatum is more likely to win a Finals MVP than Doncic. Small-forwards that can do it all have won the Finals MVP every year since 2012. They are the most valuable players to have if you want to win Playoff series and titles.

Boston has a really special player in Tatum.